Victrex plc. (VCT.L, VTXPF), a high-performance polymer solutions company, announced Tuesday the appointment of James Routh as its new Chief Executive. Routh succeeds Jakob Sigurdsson, who has notified the Board of his intention to retire after nearly eight years in the lead role.
The company noted that Routh has signed his service contract, yet a definitive start date has not been agreed. A further update on timing will be announced separately, once finalised. Sigurdsson will step down as Chief Executive once Routh joins the Board.
The new CEO is currently Chief Executive of AB Dynamics plc, a provider of automated testing, simulation and verification systems for the transportation sector.
Routh holds more than 30 years' experience across international companies serving end-markets aligned to Victrex, including transportation, aerospace and defence.
Prior to joining AB Dynamics, Routh was Group Managing Director at Diploma PLC for six years. His previous career involved engineering leadership positions predominantly in the aerospace and defence industry, including senior roles at Chemring Group PLC and Cobham PLC.
Commenting on the appointment, Vivienne Cox DBE, Chair of Victrex, said, "I am delighted to welcome James as our Chief Executive. He brings a wealth of significant leadership experience from international manufacturing and engineering based businesses, all of which are directly aligned to Victrex's end-markets. James was the standout candidate for the role and we will benefit from his proven experience in delivering focused growth strategies, particularly for new and emerging markets, or new technologies."
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